STATESBORO, Ga. – The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Women’s Basketball team begins a two-game set on the road in the eastern region of the Sun Belt Conference on Thursday, January 26 facing Georgia Southern in a 5:00 p.m. (CST) contest at Hanner Fieldhouse in Statesboro, Georgia.
The game, which closes out the first half of Sun Belt play, pits two of the teams locked in a four-way tie for fourth place in the conference standings. The victor will join Thursday’s Texas State-Old Dominion winner – the other teams involved in the tie – in climbing up to at least third place.
The Ragin’ Cajuns (11-9, 5-3 SBC) and Eagles (13-4, 5-3 SBC) are both coming off of 2-0 weeks, Louisiana winning a pair of home games including an impressive win over Old Dominion while Georgia Southern accomplished its sweep on the road highlighted by handing James Madison its first SBC loss.
On Thursday, Louisiana seeks to attain its longest win streak in SBC play this season while Georgia Southern is out to match its longest streak of consecutive league wins.
The UL-GS contest will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Danny Waugh (pxp) and Thallan Walker (analyst) providing the commentary. Fans in the Acadiana region can listen to call of the game by Ian Auzenne on 103.3 FM The Goat and 1420 AM and worldwide on the Varsity Network. Live stats will be provided by CajunStats.com.
The matchup with the Eagles presents the Ragin’ Cajuns with another battle of imposing wills and a fight to control the pace of play, similar to the overtime encounter on the road with Troy back on January 14.
Much like at Troy, it’ll be and matchup of one of the Sun Belt’s top defensive units in Louisiana which ranks No. 1 in scoring defense (57.0) and one of the top offensive units in Georgia Southern which is in a virtual tie with Troy atop the league in scoring offense (82.2).
In SBC play, the Ragin’ Cajuns defense has held the opposition to 51 points or less in all but two of the eight games played so far. By contrast, the Eagles have scored 80-plus points in six of their eight SBC outings.
Louisiana has turned its best stretch of offense over the past two weeks, shooting above 40 percent and scoring 60-plus points in four of the last five games dating back to a 71-51 road win at Texas State. The streak was slowed last Saturday vs. Arkansas State, however the Ragin’ Cajuns played shorthanded as leading scorer Lanay Wheaton was held out for precautionary measures.
The Ragin’ Cajuns 1-2 road record in SBC play is somewhat deceiving, as the team has had an opportunity to claim each game. UL lost a one-point heartbreaker at Southern Miss on a shot with six seconds remaining and had the chance at knocking down a game-winning shot in regulation at Troy – both teams that are currently tied for second place.
Boosted by back-to-back, 20-point games and four overall in the past month, Wheaton has increased her season scoring average over four points and taken over the team lead now averaging 11.3 points per game. Previous leading scorer Tamera Johnson follows closely at 11.1 points per game and has scored double figures 12 times and recorded four double-doubles.
In SBC play, Wheaton (13.7) and Johnson (12.1) have been the primary scorers. Destiny Rice has increased her SBC-play average to 8.3 points, boosted by a career-high 21 points at Texas State and followed up by an average of 10 points per game in the South Alabama-Troy set (January 12-14).
The Ragin' Cajuns defense, which ranks Top 20 nationally and leads the Sun Belt forcing 20.9 turnovers per game, is led by Wheaton's 36 steals with Johnson right behind at 32 steals. Rice leads in assists with 39, overall, and is averaging three-plus assists per game in SBC play (25 total assists).
Georgia Southern led the Sun Belt Conference and set a new single-season school record in 2021-22 by averaging 79.3 points per game. The Eagles are off to a strong start in besting that mark this season, led by Preseason All-SBC selection Terren Ward who is the leading scorer on the team and in the Sun Belt at 19.3 points per game. Ward has collected a conference-leading six double-doubles and has also reached double-digit scoring in all 17 games.
GAME INFORMATION
LOUISIANA (11-9, 5-3 SBC) at GEORGIA SOUTHERN (13-4, 5-3 SBC)
Date / Time: Thursday, January 26, 2023 / 5:00 p.m. (CST)
Site: Statesboro, Ga.
Arena: Hanner Fieldhouse (3,897)
RADIO/TVRadio: The GOAT 103.3 FM / 1420 AM
Talent: Ian Auzenne (PxP)
TV: ESPN+ [espn.com]
Talent: Danny Waugh (PxP); Thallan Walker (Analyst); LeeAnna Gaye (Sideline)
LIVE STATS/SOCIAL MEDIALive Stats: CajunStats.com [statb.us]Twitter Updates: @RaginCajunsWBB [twitter.com] | #GeauxCajuns
SERIES HISTORYOverall: Louisiana leads, 11-3
In Statesboro: Tied, 3-3
Streak: Louisiana +3
Last Meeting: UL 56-64, 2/26/22 (Lafayette, La.)
Noteworthy: Meeting for the 15th time, overall, in a series that began when Georgia Southern joined the Sun Belt Conference in the 2014-15 season … Thursday’s game marks the seventh matchup at Hanner Fieldhouse and first since January 2020 … Programs split the previous six meetings in Statesboro, however the Eagles claimed the last two matchups on their home court by double figures (76-58 on 2/7/19 and 83-67 on 1/4/20) … Louisiana carries a three-game series win streak into Thursday’s bout at Hanner Fieldhouse – the program’s third win streak of multiple games in the brief history of the series with Georgia Southern … The Ragin’ Cajuns’ 56-54 win over the Eagles in the 2021-22 regular season finale at E.K. Long Gym in Lafayette last February marked the smallest margin of victory in the series … With wins in each of the first five matchups between the two programs, Louisiana took control of the series and began to build its commanding lead.
FIVE-PLUS THINGS TO KNOW
- Takin’ Charge: With 16 points vs. Old Dominion followed up with a double-double vs. Arkansas State that included a key defensive stop in the final seconds of overtime, Tamera Johnson paced Louisiana to its first 2-0 week in Sun Belt play in the 2022-23 season. She was the driving force in the second half against ODU, leading the Ragin' Cajuns with 14 points, while her 10 points and game-high 12 rebounds on Saturday vs. ASU marked her first double-double in SBC play.
- It’s the Small Details: A subtle layer to the Ragin’ Cajuns stout defensive system is the ability to draw a charge to force a turnover from the opposition. It was a key factor in the late defensive stand vs. ODU as the squad drew charges on back-to-back Monarchs possessions to protect a 54-50 lead in the final two minutes.
- Double Trouble: It started with a combined 34 points in the South Alabama win. Since then, Lanay Wheaton and Tamera Johnson have joined forces to provide Louisiana with a combined 30-plus points in each of the last three games together out on the court (USA, Troy, ODU).
- No Quit: The Ragin’ Cajuns’ tenacity was on display at Troy as the squad battled back from an eight-point deficit twice in the fourth quarter in sending the game to overtime, then again by working through 10 lead changes last Thursday against Old Dominion.
- It's an Art: Louisiana ranks Top 20 nationally, and a close second in the Sun Belt Conference, in turnovers forced per game (20.9). Thirteen (13) times – and in nine of the last 12 games – the Ragin' Cajuns have forced the opposition into 20-plus turnovers.
- Sun Belt Success Story: Dating back to the 2020-21 season in which Louisiana won the regular season championship, the program has won 27 of its last 35 Sun Belt Conference games.
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
Louisiana travels to Boone, North Carolina immediately following Thursday’s game in Statesboro to close out this week’s road trip.
The Ragin’ Cajuns are slated to face App State on Saturday, January 28 in a 1:00 p.m. (CST) matinee at the Holmes Convocation Center.
FOLLOW THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Twitter (@RaginCajunsWBB [twitter.com]), Facebook (/RaginCajunsWBB [facebook.com]) or Instagram (@RaginCajunsWBB [instagram.com]) to stay up-to-date on all that is happening with Louisiana Women's Basketball.
Fans are also encouraged to stay engaged with the Ragin' Cajuns by downloading the #GeauxCajuns app. Click here [apps.apple.com] for iOS/Apple platforms and here [play.google.com] for Android platforms.
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